Keeping your tourist accommodation business legal

Providers of tourist accommodation such as glamping pods and cabins, holiday lets, and bed and breakfasts are subject to significant amounts of legislation relating, for example, to local authority planning permission, disabled access, consumer protection, data protection, health and safety, and waste disposal.

Professional legal advice should always be taken before making business decisions.

Planning permission

Throughout the UK, anyone intending to develop their property into tourist accommodation should contact their local authority at an early stage to check whether or not they need to obtain planning permission. Even if there will not be any alterations to the property to accommodate guests, change-of-use planning permission may still be needed.

See also: Do I need planning permission for glamping, camping or caravanning sites?

In Northern Ireland, all tourist accommodation must be certified by Tourism Northern Ireland. For information about certification, go to https://tourismni.com/startup-advice/tourist-accommodation-start-up-advice2/.